Texans fans getting restless, players getting upset

Posted by Mike Florio on September 30, 2013, 7:32 AM EST

AP

Last year, the Texans built an 11-1 record but couldn’t parlay the best start in team history into home-field advantage through the playoffs or even a bye week. At New England in the divisional round, Houston was blown out.

Once the dust settled on the season, fans and local media began to notice the chronic failure of quarterback Matt Schaub to show up in big games and/or big moments. So did the team; in the weeks preceding the 2013 season, both quarterbacks coach Karl Dorrell and G.M. Rick Smith made it clear that Schaub needs to step up when the team needs him.

Schaub has instead begun the process of stepping out, throwing pick-sixes in each of the last three games and serving up the 58-yard interception return for a touchdown that allowed the Seahawks to force overtime. Where Seattle won.

The lost sends Houston to 2-2. The Texans easily could be 0-4.

Schaub is now under siege, with fans at Reliant Stadium booing and one group in the parking lot burning Schaub’s jersey.

Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle seized on the performance to coin a new term.

“Schaubenfreude: (noun) Pleasure derived by defensive player strutting into end zone with a Matt Schaub pick-six.”

The Texans nevertheless remain committed to Schaub. (Which hopefully means they’re more committed to Schaub than Tampa coach Greg Schiano was to Josh Freeman, given that Schiano said less than a week ago that he remains committed to Josh Freeman.)

“I’ve been here when it was 2-14 and there was hardly anybody in the stands, so I really don’t care about what fans think,” receiver Andre Johnson told reporters after the game regarding the jeers directed to Schaub. “A lot of them don’t understand what players go through. They can talk about what they want to talk about.”

They want to talk about Schaub. They want to boo about Schaub. They want to think about replacing Schaub with T.J. Yates or local favorite Case Keenum.

That mindset has yet to overtake the locker room, as far as anyone knows.

“I know most people won’t agree with me and think it’s strange, but I feel better now about my team than I have all year because we’ve got the formula, we’ve got the blueprint and we know how to do it now,” defensive end Antonio Smith told reporters after the loss. “We know how to believe in our self now. All we got to do now is iron out the little mishaps here and there and that’s all with playing within the framework of the team. No reason we should have lost this game; none whatsoever. The only reason why is because here and there we made a couple of mistakes, but the feeling that was in the stadium today, the feeling we had we have not had this year, and this game here is going to be the blueprint for what’s going to come.”

Still, Smith seems to realize that Schaub’s mistakes helped turn the win into a loss.

“I feel for anybody who goes through persecution, but all it does is make you stronger,” Smith said. “He can’t let what everybody else says define him, for nobody who speaks here on earth can define you as the person that you are. Now, he has to take the responsibility on himself to stand up and to step out of the trend that he’s in, but just because everybody is booing and saying things about him, it does not define Matt Schaub. He has to find what defines him.”

While Pro Bowl defensive end J.J. Watt likewise said all the right things about Schaub, Watt made clear his belief that Sunday’s loss was the worst of Watt’s time with the team.

“I’m pissed off,” Watt told reporters. “This sucks. Nobody like to lose, especially like this in your own building. This isn’t fun.”

The chances of fun happening in six days are fairly slim, given that Houston goes to San Francisco to face the 49ers on Sunday Night Football. The loser will fall under .500 through five games.

If the loser is the Texans, the calls from local fans to lose the starting quarterback will only intensify.

If persecution makes you stronger then Schaub should be better than Payton-freaking-Manning after this week.

Smarterthanyou says:Sep 30, 2013 7:41 AM

If Houston wins only 1 more game all season then that is fine with me………..as long as its against the FortyWHiners.
That being said, i am so glad i decided to sell my PSL’s at Reliant Stadium during the offseason at the height of ghe market. The value is dropping faster now than the Texans Super Bowl window of opportunity

That was an epic choke job yesterday. Schaub throwing the interception with 3 minutes left was brutal, especially considering that Seattle’s offense, as usual on the road, was pretty bad.

jakec4 says:Sep 30, 2013 7:46 AM

Yates and Keenum are no better. Fans just want a change because they aren’t Schaub. When you have the best team in the NFC on the ropes like that though a week after losing a game 30-9 you can’t let the Seahawks come back and not expect a fan uprising.

rublestiltzkin says:Sep 30, 2013 7:48 AM

Haha

– Richard Sherman

mrbigass says:Sep 30, 2013 7:58 AM

We have a really good punter…….

mrbigass says:Sep 30, 2013 8:00 AM

Also, why in the world did they keep calling that bootleg play when Seattle blew it up everytime!!!!

zoxitic says:Sep 30, 2013 8:01 AM

Texans:Window:Closed

htowntexan says:Sep 30, 2013 8:02 AM

Schaub is awful and our head coach is awful. I can’t recall when a loss was so much on one player’s shoulders. As fans, we are all praying he is benched and Kubes fired. Neither will happen though, which is too bad. We have a lot of talent on this team.

touchdownroddywhite says:Sep 30, 2013 8:05 AM

Sometimes I wonder what the Falcons would look like if they had kept Schaub and hadn’t had to spend such a high pick on Ryan. They’re fairly equal players anyway, IMO

I get Johnson’s sentiment about the Houston fanbase. After their first playoff appearence many fans were still unhappy that Kubiak’s contract was re-upped. It seems that after every loss the same two scapegoats come out for the fanbase, Kubes and Schaub.

bennyb82 says:Sep 30, 2013 8:09 AM

I think this is the third time this season a player has publicly ripped into his team’s fans. Is that a record?

Houston will never win a superbowl with Schaub,they should offer 2 first round picks for Roethlisberger.

ccjcsr says:Sep 30, 2013 8:18 AM

Wannabe Franchise!

coltsravensfan says:Sep 30, 2013 8:21 AM

Talk is cheap. It’s not a whole lot better here in Baltimore after being beaten by the Bills in Buffalo, although our QB lacks receivers who can catch & hold onto the ball, and worse a ground game that is impotent.

How about that D and blaming them. They have been giving up more points this year. Avg of 25 pts against them every week. Schaub is getting old. but I cant see no else on the roster that can lead that team with a struggling D.

The pick-6 by Schaub was a back breaker and horrible decision. Schaube, as a veteran QB, realized and immediately recognized the tight coverage AND that it was Sherman (who, rumor has it, is pretty good) covering. That was a throw a rookie QB would’ve made “trying to make something happen” and shouldn’t have been done by Schaub.

But let’s not think Schaub alone is responsible for the collapse. The moment Cushing went out that whole team collectively tightened up and essentially gave up. That’s a strong indicator of a team psychology. Now, on the opposing sideline…they just pulled themselves up from their bootstraps after getting it handed to them for 3 1/2 quarters and went to work…..and won.

Sorry Texans fans but your team is a plateau team and has no other “gear” and no other place of psychological strength. Again, they’re the Atlanta Falcons of the AFC.

J.J. Watt should be angry. He had blood pouring out of his nose and atop his nose. He probably can’t open his eyes this morning. If a guy lays it out like that for his team and his QB is chucking balls up in the air against a team like Seattle in overtime, he should be mad.

skippynj says:Sep 30, 2013 9:02 AM

As long as Kubiak is coach and Schaub is QB they won’t win anything. They are the Smith/Ryan combo of the AFC. All the talent in the world on the team, but always a meltdown in the big game.

The guy threw for 350+ yards and a 63% completion ratio against arguably the best defense in the NFL. If you really think T.J. Yates gives you a better chance that this perhaps you should focus on the Astros.

ftblfan9 says:
Sep 30, 2013 9:08 AM
The guy threw for 350+ yards and a 63% completion ratio against arguably the best defense in the NFL. If you really think T.J. Yates gives you a better chance that this perhaps you should focus on the Astros.

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Excellent stats for sure……except for the one glaring stat that nailed the coffin shut….1 very poorly chosen pick-6 that essentially cost the game.

That throw was a complete Bush-league throw that only a rookie QB should’ve made. Schaub should know better. He could’ve thrown for over 500+ yards but that one play alone sealed the deal.

lets be real about the texans their offense is a high yardage system that is not particularly effective in the red zone, major flaw red zone is name of the game in the nfl.
defense is not as talented as theyd like to think and the 5-2 pass rush wade philips runs is getting figured out. watt will get you something but hes not unstoppable.
titans and colts look like theyve got a good shot at the division title if they can show up strong when it counts

Texan fans, your team is a legit contender. You have a suffocating, brutal defense with arguably the best defensive lineman since Reggie White. The offense is loaded too, from top to bottom…including Schaub. Seattle has an ELITE secondary and your QB was carving them up all game. The first int was not his fault. That was right off his own players hands. The second was just a great play by Sherman on a play your offensive coordinator should not have called at that point in the game. There were so many fluky plays in that game and if any of them go your way, you get an impressive win over a very talented team. Keep your heads up Texan fans…your team is good enough to beat anyone on any day. Good luck for the rest of the season.

Schaub needs to go I they want to live up to the potential they have. That and they need another threat at WR who’s name isn’t Andre Johnson. Its that simple. They will never be a great team until they do. And they’d better move fast, because the Colts are wasting no time in taking back that division as their own.

I’ve said this for years. That zone blocking scheme isn’t that great unless you have special players in that system, i.e. John Elway and Terrell Davis. It piles up stats for guys who would probably be ordinary in most other systems and always gets exposed against good defenses without those special players like John Elway (good luck finding him growing on a tree) to overcome its red zone limitations.

Btw, Seahawk fans, you have the exact same problem because you run alot of the same system and while I think Russell Wilson is much better than Schaub will ever be and Lynch is marginally better than Foster, they aren’t Elway and Davis either. If their defense isn’t lights out on the road, they’re 2-2 right now.

Hawks fan here, the Texans Defense is freaking LEGIT. Sure, my hawks were down 3 I line starters, one a 7th round rookie making his first start, and blocking Watt all day, but damn they are good. You just have a horribly dumb, weak hearted QB. You guys will make the playoffs. Please please please beat SF.

Wilson threw an INT as well late into the 4th quarter. The Texans defense didn’t show up in the second half. Why isn’t anyone blaming them? It’s not how you start a game it’s how you finish. Sea! Hawks!

The defense dominated the Seahawks in the first half, then Cushing went out and the Seahawks marched downfield. But even when they had their long drive, the Texans still should have won if not for the pick 6. That totally shifted all momentum and confidence over to Seattle and it was only a matter of time before they won it.

bluenose1965 says:Sep 30, 2013 11:16 AM

mrsmell says:
Sep 30, 2013 8:31 AM
How about that D and blaming them. They have been giving up more points this year. Avg of 25 pts against them every week. Schaub is getting old. but I cant see no else on the roster that can lead that team with a struggling D.

____________________________________

Completely ludicrous. 3 pick sixes, a pick on our own 10 that lead to an immediate TD and a punt return. That’s 35 of the points given up by the offense and special teams. The D by itself has given up an average of 18 points a game.

I’ve defended him as much as I can. Schaub is the problem on the field.

Off the field, it starts at the top. Bob McNair is so loyal it’s become a detriment to the team. He should have fired Kubiak four years ago. Kubiak cannot coach in big games. Even last year when they started 11-1, we struggle to put together 60 minutes of football.

@onebigredrocket
My argument is that the defense only let up one touchdown all game. All Schaub and Kubiack had to do was get one field goal to win this game. The defense can’t stop a pick six. And the defense picked off wilson, a couple first downs and the game would have been won. Either Schaub gets better or they don’t put the ball in his hands when the game is on the line, Yates and Keenum might not be much better, but they’re also not getting paid big money to lose games.

I have no axes to grind. With the quality players this team has, they have seriously underperformed. What they don’t realize is that they will soon have to start dismantling their team as their young players rightfully demand the big paydays. I think that they have wasted a once in a generation opportunity by sticking with a less than mediocre QB. Alex Smith or Jay Cutler would take them to Lombardi-Land. Tim Couch could have done what Schaub has accomplished Now, by the time they get a new QB integrated, their talent will be old or gone. Loyalty is letting them down easy, not keeping them too long.

The Texans are an illusion, JJ Watt is a punk and a crybaby…Trying to pull off the bully card is a joke…He got his nose broke and his butt kicked…And Cushing got punched in the brain…Haha! Underestimating the opposition is what the Texans do best! The are a fake football team, always have been…Better call TJ Yates to handle the QB job, Shaub is a hack…

Show me a QB who never thows a pick and gives up a lead.
Schaub is not elite, but they’ve had a helluva lot more success with him than before. Kubiak has lead them to playoff wins two straight years. Chill out people.

Show me a QB who never thows a pick and gives up a lead.
Schaub is not elite, but they’ve had a helluva lot more success with him than before. Kubiak has lead them to playoff wins two straight years. Chill out.

praetorian12 says:Sep 30, 2013 12:59 PM

Looks like Seattle and Indy will be playing for the 2013 AFC South Division title next week. (insert rimshot here).

gettinglucky12 says:
Sep 30, 2013 1:23 PM
And meanwhile the Colts just their division back
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Slow your roll Colts fans, you still have to take the division back, you haven’t earned anything yet.

htown1035 says:Sep 30, 2013 1:26 PM

pookienjookie says:
Sep 30, 2013 12:44 PM
AFC South aka the Div II of the NFL
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Sorry, but apart from the Jags the division is hardly weak anymore. If anything the NFC East now takes that crown – that division winner might be 6-10.

The Texans can win, but their lack of playoff entries and playoff runs have been caused by too much dearth in depth and subpar coaching.

If you wanted to win when Schaub was younger don’t have Frank Bush as your DC.

If you wanna win now replenish your depth.

They’ve run out of it And too little team depth likely causes Schaub to press.

rick630c1 says:Oct 1, 2013 9:43 PM

serkeljerks says: Sep 30, 2013 9:19 AM
That throw was a complete Bush-league throw that only a rookie QB should’ve made. Schaub should know better. He could’ve thrown for over 500+ yards but that one play alone sealed the deal.

I agree with you completely but he is hardly the only veteran QB to pull that garbage. One comes to mind that a lot of people rate fairly high on their all time personal QB rankings, Favre used to do that sheet several times a season and drive his fans loco. I remember Stabler did it a few times in his career as well, throw it up hoping, well knowing, that Casper would be there but not always working out that way, lol. To be sure there were others that made dumb throws time after time, you’d think they had learned but noooo, here’s another. But you’re definitely right, that one Sunday was a stupid-stupid throw by Schaub!